Business and Technology Excellence with Jennifer Fong

Home-Based Entrepreneurs Can Take Their Kids to Work Too

Thursday is “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” here in the US. My oldest son came to me yesterday and mentioned that many of his friends wouldn’t be in school because they would be participating. He was wondering if he could too.

Now my first instinct was, “What? You want to sit in my room with me at my desk and watch me on the computer all day?” But then I thought again. Because, as entrepreneurs, we have a remarkable gift and legacy to leave to our children. We may not go to an office (we don’t have to go to an office!!!) but there are still many valuable experiences we can share with our children. By observing us, our children can learn work ethic, self-discipline, working towards a goal, and many other important life skills.

My son headed to school with a note in his backpack today telling his teacher that he wouldn’t be in school Thursday because he’s participating in Take Your Child to Work Day. And what will he be doing? Here are some things I thought of. I thought it might be fun if you added yours as well. Let’s create a resource for all the work at home parents that want to share this day with their kids. (And by the way, this website has a ton of resources to make this a valuable educational experience for your child as well.)

We will…

Look at a US map and mark where my clients are.

I’ll give him an overview of what my schedule looks like on a typical day.

Participate in some “community management” activities for my clients. I’ll have him locate some great content online to share through various social networking profiles my company maintains.

Help me plan a marketing campaign for one of my clients.

Go out for lunch!

Help me organize some files in my office.

Create a spreadsheet to track income and expenses (I’ll give him some sample expenses and income, and show him how to do the calculations within Excel.)

Talk about what he’d like to be when he grows up, and do some online research into what that career may look like when he’s old enough to get that job.

Write a blog post about his day (which I’ll feature here.) He’ll bring the link to school to share with his classmates and teacher.

One of the things I love about a direct selling career is the example we set for our kids. I still remember watching my son when he was about 3 years old doing some imaginative play. He was pretending to drive a truck with his brother. When they stopped, he said, “I’ll fix the truck. I own the tire store.” Notice the language here. He didn’t WORK at the tire store. He owned it. That’s the gift we give our kids. We teach them to be leaders. To create jobs. To make a difference.

Are you participating in Take Your Child to Work Day? What activities would you suggest that direct sellers could do with their kids? Let’s create a resource that everyone can use in the comments!

Hey Jennifer,
I LOVE this idea! You taught your son well if he was a “tire shop owner” at 3! There is so much emphasis on College/University planning (which mostly is the “learn to work hard for someone else” approach), I think it’s just as important for kids to see that success in business comes in many forms. As long as you have self-discipline, determination, a great work ethic, and passion for what you are doing -you can be successful. I’m not knocking the educational system, and my children are on a great path to attend just about any university they choose, but it’s important to know there are “other” options like being self-employed. So kudos to you for thinking it through to have your son “working” for you. I love it when my children interact with my business. From placing orders, labeling, and delivering products, to going on road trips for large vendor events, I love that time I get to share with my children and give them skills they don’t get in a classroom. Direct Sales has blessed my life in so many ways. Enjoy your day together, it will be a great memory for both of you.

I have 2 teenaged daughters and over the years we’ve never officially done Take Your Daughter to Work day because they in many ways go to work with me every day. I’ve had my business 15 years now and the girls have been helping in one way or another since day 1. My 17 year old was making sales at 2 years old. Having a home based business has put me in a unique position to have take your daughter to work day every day and give them a head start on learning valuable skills that will benefit them as they move into the workforce.